MONROE - The Monroe girls basketball team clamped down, put on a defensive clinic and rolled to a 53-34 win over Portage in a WIAA Division 2 regional quarterfinal Tuesday night.
The Cheesemakers went on a 25-4 run that spanned from the end of the second quarter into the fourth. The Cheesemakers held the Warriors without a point for about 10 minutes and outscored them 12-0 in the third quarter to build an insurmountable lead they never relinquished. The Warriors shot a dismal 20.5 percent and were plagued by 18 turnovers.
Monroe junior Brooke McBain scored a game-high 17 points and had five rebounds. Monroe senior Kyleigh Sellnow scored 10 points, grabbed six rebounds and had five steals.
"Defense wins games," McBain said. "It felt good to have that run. It gave us the energy we needed the whole game."
Even Monroe coach Sam Mathiason was impressed with his team's defensive stand and decisive run that earned the Cheesemakers (12-11) a date at Madison Edgewood in a regional semifinal Friday night.
"Our defense was solid," Mathiason said. "We know it starts on the defensive end. We made them work. I was proud of our rebounding. We really limited them to one shot and limited their second chance scoring."
Sellnow played her final prep game on her home court in Monroe.
"It was great to get Kellie (Dahlk) in there and play with five seniors on the floor," Sellnow said. "That gave us a boost. It was just really a solid team effort."
Monroe had plenty of offensive balance early on. Monroe senior Kristin McArdle hit a jumper, senior Abby Jacobson scored on a layup, junior Molly Hlubek knocked down a jumper; and McBain scored on a putback to give the Cheesemakers an 8-2 first-quarter lead.
Portage junior Heidi Hemming and Kylee Rothenburger each hit 3-pointers to give the Warriors a short-lived, 16-15 lead. The Cheesemakers closed the second quarter on a 7-0 spurt highlighted by McBain's jumper and basket down low. McArdle knocked down a jumper at the end of the second quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 28-20 half-time lead.
The Cheesemakers started the third quarter just like they finished the second. Sellnow nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 5:58 left in the third quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 31-20 lead. She scored down low and McBain scored on a hook shot to give the Cheesemakers a 37-20 lead.
"That kind of really set the tone for the second half," Mathiason said. "We played a good first 16 minutes. We had to play a good second 16 minutes. I think we did a good job of that. We were able to string together some stops and make a run. We haven't had many runs like that this year."
Sellnow said the Cheesemakers' big run was exciting.
"I think the key to the 25-4 run is everyone was on the same page playing good team defense and offense," she said.
Monroe led by as many as 25 points in the second half and nine players scored. McArdle scored seven points and junior Gracie Schilt and freshman Taylor Barrett added five each.
"We have talked about finding that consistency," Mathiason said. "The more girls we have out there who are threats and can score, it makes it tougher on the defense."
Monroe now has two days to prepare for a regional semifinal against Madison Edgewood. Monroe has an 14-4 mark against the Crusaders in the regular season, dating back to 2002-03.
The Cheesemakers have beat the Crusaders in the postseason the last two times they have met. Monroe lost to Edgewood 39-37 when a buzzer-beating 3-pointer came up short in the first meeting, and lost the second, 43-34. However, these are not the same teams as earlier this season. Edgewood has lost four of its last six games.
"They are a really good team," Mathiason said. "We have our work cut out for us. We will go up there play them and see what we can do."
McBain said she is excited about playing Edgewood since the Crusaders swept two games in the regular season.
"It would be nice to get the win," McBain said. "We can definitely beat them."
The Cheesemakers went on a 25-4 run that spanned from the end of the second quarter into the fourth. The Cheesemakers held the Warriors without a point for about 10 minutes and outscored them 12-0 in the third quarter to build an insurmountable lead they never relinquished. The Warriors shot a dismal 20.5 percent and were plagued by 18 turnovers.
Monroe junior Brooke McBain scored a game-high 17 points and had five rebounds. Monroe senior Kyleigh Sellnow scored 10 points, grabbed six rebounds and had five steals.
"Defense wins games," McBain said. "It felt good to have that run. It gave us the energy we needed the whole game."
Even Monroe coach Sam Mathiason was impressed with his team's defensive stand and decisive run that earned the Cheesemakers (12-11) a date at Madison Edgewood in a regional semifinal Friday night.
"Our defense was solid," Mathiason said. "We know it starts on the defensive end. We made them work. I was proud of our rebounding. We really limited them to one shot and limited their second chance scoring."
Sellnow played her final prep game on her home court in Monroe.
"It was great to get Kellie (Dahlk) in there and play with five seniors on the floor," Sellnow said. "That gave us a boost. It was just really a solid team effort."
Monroe had plenty of offensive balance early on. Monroe senior Kristin McArdle hit a jumper, senior Abby Jacobson scored on a layup, junior Molly Hlubek knocked down a jumper; and McBain scored on a putback to give the Cheesemakers an 8-2 first-quarter lead.
Portage junior Heidi Hemming and Kylee Rothenburger each hit 3-pointers to give the Warriors a short-lived, 16-15 lead. The Cheesemakers closed the second quarter on a 7-0 spurt highlighted by McBain's jumper and basket down low. McArdle knocked down a jumper at the end of the second quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 28-20 half-time lead.
The Cheesemakers started the third quarter just like they finished the second. Sellnow nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 5:58 left in the third quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 31-20 lead. She scored down low and McBain scored on a hook shot to give the Cheesemakers a 37-20 lead.
"That kind of really set the tone for the second half," Mathiason said. "We played a good first 16 minutes. We had to play a good second 16 minutes. I think we did a good job of that. We were able to string together some stops and make a run. We haven't had many runs like that this year."
Sellnow said the Cheesemakers' big run was exciting.
"I think the key to the 25-4 run is everyone was on the same page playing good team defense and offense," she said.
Monroe led by as many as 25 points in the second half and nine players scored. McArdle scored seven points and junior Gracie Schilt and freshman Taylor Barrett added five each.
"We have talked about finding that consistency," Mathiason said. "The more girls we have out there who are threats and can score, it makes it tougher on the defense."
Monroe now has two days to prepare for a regional semifinal against Madison Edgewood. Monroe has an 14-4 mark against the Crusaders in the regular season, dating back to 2002-03.
The Cheesemakers have beat the Crusaders in the postseason the last two times they have met. Monroe lost to Edgewood 39-37 when a buzzer-beating 3-pointer came up short in the first meeting, and lost the second, 43-34. However, these are not the same teams as earlier this season. Edgewood has lost four of its last six games.
"They are a really good team," Mathiason said. "We have our work cut out for us. We will go up there play them and see what we can do."
McBain said she is excited about playing Edgewood since the Crusaders swept two games in the regular season.
"It would be nice to get the win," McBain said. "We can definitely beat them."
